Washington Barber Defies Stay-at-Home Order; Reopens Shop

Washington Barber Defies Stay-at-Home Order; Reopens Shop

Bob Martin, a Washington barber and former Marine, defied Gov. Jay Inslee’s “stay-at-home” order by opening his shop on Saturday. Martin has operated the barbershop for over five decades. Also, while he initially followed the order, money became tight – prompting him to reopen in secret.

Martin would have to remain closed following Inslee’s extension of the stay-at-home order through the end of the month. “Under his four-phase plan to reopen the state, barbershops and hair salons wouldn’t open until Phase 2,” according to Fox News. The said phase will likely begin after several weeks.

Tired of Waiting

According to Martin, he’s tired of waiting for the government to give the go signal. The barber turned the lights back on after seeing Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney’s Facebook post from last month. The post said: “As I have previously stated, I have not carried out any enforcement for the current a stay-at-home order. As this order has continued on for well over a month now and a majority of our residents cannot return to work to provide for their families, I have received a lot of outreach from concerned members of our community asking if Governor Inslee’s order is a violation of our constitutional rights.”

“As your Snohomish County Sheriff, yes I believe that preventing business owners to operate their businesses and provide for their families intrudes on our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I am greatly concerned for our small business owners and single-income families who have lost their primary source of income needed for survival,” the post added.

“If they fine me, take away my license, or not renew it, I’m going to operate anyway,” Martin said. “What are you going to do now? I don’t need a piece of paper to do what I’ve been doing for 60 years.”

According to Martin, there have been customers who lined up outside the shop and supported him. Some also left extra tips and paid double.

“I think it’s fantastic,” said customer Eddie Donovan. “I think more people are going to suffer from not being able to pay their bills than will ever suffer from the virus.”